Jack White awarded honorary doctorate from Wayne State University

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Musician and Detroit native Jack White received an honorary doctoral degree Friday from Wayne State University. 

He was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters during the morning commencement ceremony at the Fox Theatre. 

Wayne State bestowed the degree "for his dedication to Detroit and significant contributions to the arts as one of the most prolific and renowned artists of the past two decades."

Jack White III was born and raised in southwest Detroit and was the youngest of 10 children. He graduated from Cass Tech High School.

"I've never worn a gap and gown before because I didn't attend my graduation because I didn't think the gap and gown was worth the money at the time," he said to his peers. He did go on from Cass Tech to attend some classes at Wayne State University before starting his music career. He spoke highly about how one of the film classes changed his life. 

You can hear the rest of his speech in the video player above. 

In the late '90s he founded The White Stripes and began their career around Michigan's underground garage-rock scene. He has since gone on to start another band, The Raconteurs, and also have a successful solo career. He has won 12 Grammy Awards, and all three of his solo albums have reached number one on Billboard charts. 

Jack White's dedication to his hometown has never faltered through all of his success. 

Just earlier this year, he donated $10,000 to kick off renovations at a historic baseball park in Hamtramck. He has also made donations to Clark Park, where he grew up playing as a kid. In 2013 he saved the Detroit Masonic Temple from foreclosure. 

In 2015 he opened a Third Man Records retail location in Detroit, where he also has a vinyl record pressing plant. Third Man Records is his independent record label. 

Wayne State also bestowed honorary doctorates in separate ceremonies to Florine Mark, a Detroit native and president and CEO of the WW Group (formerly Weight Watchers), and to Earl Lewis, a leading scholar and social justice champion.